Pope and Young ??

[James]

Not trying to stir things any but I do want to point out that I lease farms in both Minnesota and Wisconsin and have had different leases as well. I've taken some nice animals off of leases in the past but never a P&Y buck with my bow.

In full disclosure I did shoot a buck that netted 134" off my Minnessota farm in 2011 with my muzzleloader. It was Dec 4th and I hunted very hard with my bow all season. That was the first time I ever laid eyes on that buck and he was in a spot that would have been very difficult if not impossible to kill with a bow. (Basically came into a open field from the neighbors)

I just wanted to point out that even with leases it hasn't been easy to tag a P&Y animal. For me anyways. Again, perhaps I am just unlucky in terms of how their scores fall.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Arrowbender]

I think A small percentage of the members voted.
Didn't Ed say over 4K membership.
I think we didn't realize a representative sample size!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[James]

I think A small percentage of the members voted.
Didn't Ed say over 4K membership.
I think we didn't realize a representative sample size!
[ Post made via iPhone ]

Well and the wording on Ed's poll makes it a little skewed. It says gross P&Y / 125" which is a little contradictory. I voted 3 because I have a wall full of more than 3 bucks that I killed that gross well over 125", but none of them net it!

[Dewey]

When I started hunting a P&Y buck was an unrealistic goal. I think that is why my goal was to get one in the book. [glow=red]Now days you can get one pretty easy.[/glow]

Say What???

Really?

Stan, I know more than a few pretty good Bowhunters that are finding it a challenge to get one in the book.
They hunt MN and/or WI. They have had the goal for some time now, and have come close but that darn NET thing cas be a but kicker.

I am not trying to insinuate that you need to be some kind of supernatural deer killer; but I will stand by the statement that it surly aint easy.

I must suck as a hunter because my goal is to kill a 125" or better every year and I assure you it's no easy task! Killed a few just under the last few years so I suppose I took myself out of the game but even those weren't easy. I don't know many guys that can easily kill one every season around here. Every one is hard earned.

[Stanley]

Not trying to stir things any but I do want to point out that I lease farms in both Minnesota and Wisconsin and have had different leases as well. I've taken some nice animals off of leases in the past but never a P&Y buck with my bow.

In full disclosure I did shoot a buck that netted 134" off my Minnessota farm in 2011 with my muzzleloader. It was Dec 4th and I hunted very hard with my bow all season. That was the first time I ever laid eyes on that buck and he was in a spot that would have been very difficult if not impossible to kill with a bow. (Basically came into a open field from the neighbors)

I just wanted to point out that even with leases it hasn't been easy to tag a P&Y animal. For me anyways. Again, perhaps I am just unlucky in terms of how their scores fall.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Do you know what the difference is between a 2.5 year old buck that scores 130 net and a 2.5 year old buck that net scores 122? The answer is; luck of the draw. I don't consider your accomplishments any less because the buck didn't luck out and grow a symmetrical rack.

[Stanley]

When I started hunting a P&Y buck was an unrealistic goal. I think that is why my goal was to get one in the book. [glow=red]Now days you can get one pretty easy.[/glow]

Say What???

Really?

Stan, I know more than a few pretty good Bowhunters that are finding it a challenge to get one in the book.
They hunt MN and/or WI. They have had the goal for some time now, and have come close but that darn NET thing cas be a but kicker.

I am not trying to insinuate that you need to be some kind of supernatural deer killer; but I will stand by the statement that it surly aint easy.

I must suck as a hunter because my goal is to kill a 125" or better every year and I assure you it's no easy task! Killed a few just under the last few years so I suppose I took myself out of the game but even those weren't easy. I don't know many guys that can easily kill one every season around here. Every one is hard earned.

No one, I reiterate no one is killing good bucks where they don't exist. You have to put yourself in a position to kill a P&Y if you really want one. That may be a different area, state, or province. If your goal was to kill a P&Y buck you would do it. It's just that simple. You may have to hunt different or a different area, but the possibility is real.

Look at the guys that really, truly want to. They just plain do what it takes to do it. They may sacrifice buying a new truck, or the latest and greatest stuff. The bucks are out there, you have to be where they are, if you really want to kill one. There are hunters that live in poor big buck areas/states and they are killing multiple big bucks every year. We have some on the Beast.

[James]

Not trying to stir things any but I do want to point out that I lease farms in both Minnesota and Wisconsin and have had different leases as well. I've taken some nice animals off of leases in the past but never a P&Y buck with my bow.

In full disclosure I did shoot a buck that netted 134" off my Minnessota farm in 2011 with my muzzleloader. It was Dec 4th and I hunted very hard with my bow all season. That was the first time I ever laid eyes on that buck and he was in a spot that would have been very difficult if not impossible to kill with a bow. (Basically came into a open field from the neighbors)

I just wanted to point out that even with leases it hasn't been easy to tag a P&Y animal. For me anyways. Again, perhaps I am just unlucky in terms of how their scores fall.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Do you know what the difference is between a 2.5 year old buck that scores 130 net and a 2.5 year old buck that net scores 122? The answer is; luck of the draw. I don't consider your accomplishments any less because the buck didn't luck out and grow a symmetrical rack.

I've only killed one 2.5 year old buck in the past 5 years. Granted most of the bucks were all cementum aged at 3yos but one was a 5yo and unfortunately he had a broken brow and G4 on opposite sides, so his score went from likely a high 130s class animal to again missing the mark.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[john1984]

Maybe it's both easy and hard. Loosing a lot of weight and quitting smoking is hard, but in a way it's real easy to do.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Dewey]

When I started hunting a P&Y buck was an unrealistic goal. I think that is why my goal was to get one in the book. [glow=red]Now days you can get one pretty easy.[/glow]

Say What???

Really?

Stan, I know more than a few pretty good Bowhunters that are finding it a challenge to get one in the book.
They hunt MN and/or WI. They have had the goal for some time now, and have come close but that darn NET thing cas be a but kicker.

I am not trying to insinuate that you need to be some kind of supernatural deer killer; but I will stand by the statement that it surly aint easy.

I must suck as a hunter because my goal is to kill a 125" or better every year and I assure you it's no easy task! Killed a few just under the last few years so I suppose I took myself out of the game but even those weren't easy. I don't know many guys that can easily kill one every season around here. Every one is hard earned.

No one, I reiterate no one is killing good bucks where they don't exist. You have to put yourself in a position to kill a P&Y if you really want one. That may be a different area, state, or province. If your goal was to kill a P&Y buck you would do it. It's just that simple. You may have to hunt different or a different area, but the possibility is real.

Look at the guys that really, truly want to. They just plain do what it takes to do it. They may sacrifice buying a new truck, or the latest and greatest stuff. The bucks are out there, you have to be where they are, if you really want to kill one. There are hunters that live in poor big buck areas/states and they are killing multiple big bucks every year. We have some on the Beast.

The bucks are here I assure you but it still ain't "easy".

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Stanley]

When I started hunting a P&Y buck was an unrealistic goal. I think that is why my goal was to get one in the book. [glow=red]Now days you can get one pretty easy.[/glow]

Say What???

Really?

Stan, I know more than a few pretty good Bowhunters that are finding it a challenge to get one in the book.
They hunt MN and/or WI. They have had the goal for some time now, and have come close but that darn NET thing cas be a but kicker.

I am not trying to insinuate that you need to be some kind of supernatural deer killer; but I will stand by the statement that it surly aint easy.

I must suck as a hunter because my goal is to kill a 125" or better every year and I assure you it's no easy task! Killed a few just under the last few years so I suppose I took myself out of the game but even those weren't easy. I don't know many guys that can easily kill one every season around here. Every one is hard earned.

No one, I reiterate no one is killing good bucks where they don't exist. You have to put yourself in a position to kill a P&Y if you really want one. That may be a different area, state, or province. If your goal was to kill a P&Y buck you would do it. It's just that simple. You may have to hunt different or a different area, but the possibility is real.

Look at the guys that really, truly want to. They just plain do what it takes to do it. They may sacrifice buying a new truck, or the latest and greatest stuff. The bucks are out there, you have to be where they are, if you really want to kill one. There are hunters that live in poor big buck areas/states and they are killing multiple big bucks every year. We have some on the Beast.

The bucks are here I assure you but it still ain't "easy".

[ Post made via iPhone ]

I'm curious as to what makes it so hard? I was thinking you were from Michigan. SW Wisconsin was a deer nirvana in the mid 70s. I was in that area a couple years ago and could see the deer numbers were way way down from back then. I don't know about the area you are in.

[crankn101]

I measure my own and dont care to ever enter one into the books.

I care more about the actual hunt and how it all played out, thats the trophy to me, one on one with a deer.

[Dewey]

When I started hunting a P&Y buck was an unrealistic goal. I think that is why my goal was to get one in the book. [glow=red]Now days you can get one pretty easy.[/glow]

Say What???

Really?

Stan, I know more than a few pretty good Bowhunters that are finding it a challenge to get one in the book.
They hunt MN and/or WI. They have had the goal for some time now, and have come close but that darn NET thing cas be a but kicker.

I am not trying to insinuate that you need to be some kind of supernatural deer killer; but I will stand by the statement that it surly aint easy.

I must suck as a hunter because my goal is to kill a 125" or better every year and I assure you it's no easy task! Killed a few just under the last few years so I suppose I took myself out of the game but even those weren't easy. I don't know many guys that can easily kill one every season around here. Every one is hard earned.

No one, I reiterate no one is killing good bucks where they don't exist. You have to put yourself in a position to kill a P&Y if you really want one. That may be a different area, state, or province. If your goal was to kill a P&Y buck you would do it. It's just that simple. You may have to hunt different or a different area, but the possibility is real.

Look at the guys that really, truly want to. They just plain do what it takes to do it. They may sacrifice buying a new truck, or the latest and greatest stuff. The bucks are out there, you have to be where they are, if you really want to kill one. There are hunters that live in poor big buck areas/states and they are killing multiple big bucks every year. We have some on the Beast.

The bucks are here I assure you but it still ain't "easy".

[ Post made via iPhone ]

I'm curious as to what makes it so hard? I was thinking you were from Michigan. SW Wisconsin was a deer nirvana in the mid 70s. I was in that area a couple years ago and could see the deer numbers were way way down from back then. I don't know about the area you are in.

Wow Stanley I don't even know how to respond to that question! I bet even if you asked guys that kill a P&Y every year they won't even say it's an easy task unless they are hunting on a game farm.

Maybe start a poll asking all of the guys that kill one every year what their thoughts are. That would be a very small poll.

I assure you there is a very small percentage that can do it every single year and that alone proves it's not easy even if your hunting in deer nirvana.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[whitetailassasin]

I see what Stanley is saying, if you want to kill a py buck, and that's your goal, you will spend the money, hunt new states, farms, ranches, etc. Only thing is the majority of hunters don't have the financial capacity to do these things. For the most of us, we do all we can with the resources at hand and seek to get the most out of them. I hunt Michigan public land. It's hard to get permission to hunt any private worth a darn. To shoot a py buck here is extremely difficult. To pay for the opportunity to shoot one somewhere else is just as hard here because our economy isn't the greatest either. I don't think you meant it's easy , as in, shooting a py on what most of us hunt, but that it's not hard to find a way you could get one with the right resources, money, etc.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[PK_]

I am going to lean… not so easy…

It's not 'easy' for me to get anywhere where deer that caliber are 'common'. It is literally halfway across the country.

It is like me telling someone in the Midwest that it is 'easy' to go to the beach...

[Jackson Marsh]

@Stanley

How many P&Y caliber bucks did you pass on this season prior to killing your buck this year? How many hours/days did you hunt?

Just curious as I consider you one of the top hunters on this site who understands the when/where/why of killing big bucks.

[ Post made via Android ]